Most of the damage was in the area surrounding the epicentre which included the city of Christchurch
Although smaller in magnitude than the September 4th 2010 earthquake, the 22nd Febuary 2011 event was more damaging and deadly for a number of reasons including - the epicentre was closer to Christchurch, and shallower just 5 kilometres underground compared to 10 km and the epicentre 48 km away in the September 2010 earthquake. The February 2011 aftershock or earthquake occurred on a weekday during the lunchtime period when the CBD was very busy. Also many buildings had already been weakened from the previous earthquakes and aftershocks. The peak ground accearation (PGA) was extremely high, and with simultaneous vertical and horizontal ground movement it was "almost impossible" for buildings to survive intact.
Size: 4256px × 2831px
Location: Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand
Photo credit: © Adrian Page / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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